LCCC ENGLISH
DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 17/07
Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus
Christ according to Saint Matthew 18,21-35.19,1. Then Peter approaching asked
him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many
as seven times?"Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven
times. That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to
settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was
brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it
back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and
all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did
him homage, and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.'
Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the
loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed
him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
'Pay back what you owe.'
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I
will pay you back.' But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he
paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they
were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you your
entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your
fellow servant, as I had pity on you?' Then in anger his master handed him over
to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly
Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart."When
Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea
across the Jordan.
Opinions
Windsor Hezbollah sign draws international attention.Trevor Wilhelm, The Windsor
Star.August 16/07
Lebanon: One Year On.
By Sean Gannon. August 16/07
A breakable
link? By: John Davis. August 16/07
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources
for August 16/07
Gaza Christians Living Under Growing Islamic Threat.CNSNews.com
Hizbullah Owns Sophisticated Weapons to Deny Israel Air
Superiority, Analyst-Naharnet
PLO Restructures Lebanon
Command to Deal with Challenge from Hamas-Naharnet
Hizbullah marks Lebanon war anniversary with pomp and
piety.Christian Science Monitor
Enthralled by alchemy.Ha'aretz
The Israel-Hezbollah war, what went wrong?Power Line -
Minneapolis,MN,USA
Now Showing South of Beirut: The Hizbullah Experience.Ya
Libnan
Body of a journalist missing in Lebanon found in
Kazakhstan. Ya Libnan
Oil pollution still poisons Lebanon's coastline. Ya
Libnan
Canadian Citizens Say no to
Hezbollah's terrorism & its infringements on Canada's laws & Security
(quotations from the Windsor Star newspaper) published on August 16/07
The billboard. A message in its wake
Windsor Star
Thursday, August 16, 2007
For the vast majority of Canadians, the ceaseless unrest that has defined the
Middle East is viewed from the safety of their living rooms and through the
filter of news reports.
Occasionally, our streets will fill with protesters expressing their support for
the various warring factions. Last summer, as Hezbollah and Israeli forces
exchanged gunfire and bombs over Lebanon, there were protests in parts of the
city. More recently, the conflict made headlines after a billboard was erected
at the southwest corner of Marion Avenue and Wyandotte Street East. The sign did
not mention Hezbollah by name, but featured a central image of Hassan Nasrallah,
the leader of the controversial political and military group that represents
Lebanese Shia Muslims and has clashed with Israeli troops for more than 20
years.
The billboard, which was taken down on the weekend, effectively promoted a group
that has been defined by the Canadian government as a terrorist organization.
Its leaders have consistently advocated the destruction of Israel.
In a bid to defend the sign, its sponsors said they were merely exercising their
freedom of speech. "We're not trying to offend anybody. We have freedom of
speech. It's a free country. We can do anything," said Hussein Dabaja, a
Lebanese-born Hezbollah supporter.
"Every Lebanese in Canada has somebody that died in Lebanon, the freedom
fighters. Who is Hezbollah? Our brothers, our family, our parents, our friends.
We came to Canada and they stayed there to fight."
But a broad section of the public correctly viewed the sign -- and its direct
link to a terrorist organization -- as an abuse of our freedom. "It should be
offensive to all people living in Windsor," said Harvey Kessler, executive
director of the Windsor Jewish Community Centre. "It should be offensive not
only to the Jewish community, but to any Canadian."
Elias Bejjani of the Lebanese Canadian Co-ordinating Council, a collection of
non-profit groups focused on educating people about Lebanese issues, was also
offended. "It was more than somebody putting up a billboard. It is symbolic. As
Canadians we cannot be neutral. There is no neutrality when it comes to
terrorism."
Mayor Eddie Francis summed it up well when he said, "The politics of Lebanon
belong in Lebanon, not on the streets of Windsor."Canada offers opportunity and
peace to Dabaja and thousands of other Lebanese immigrants who chose not to
"stay there to fight."They opted to live in a country that has spun thousands of
success stories, particularly for immigrants who have fled the world's trouble
spots. Canadians are not indifferent to the strife that has destroyed lives
across the globe. But, Dabaja and other newcomers who now call Canada their home
should focus on continuing the job of building one of world's greatest success
stories.
Don't fall for propaganda
Windsor Star
David Harris/Ottawa
Letter
Published: Thursday, August 16, 2007
As someone involved for many years in counterterrorism, I share readers' horror
at the spectre of Hezbollah billboards in Windsor.
This disingenuous propaganda, complete with invocations of "peace," reminds us
that enemies among us have taken our full measure as a non-violent people. They
hope soothing language will pacify and blind us to Hezbollah's operational
reality as a racist, genocidal, supremacist Islamic operation. Add to the fact
its agents have undertaken targeting reconnaissance in Canada against Canadian
sites. We mustn't be duped by Hezbollah assurances that this Iranian-backed
group has hospitals and social welfare programs in Lebanon. Such efforts are
primarily used for cover, social control and the recruiting of jihadists for
worldwide killer operations, including in Canada. That's why our government
banned the organization as a designated terror group under Canadian law.We must
know our enemy, not advertise for it.
David Harris/Ottawa
Windsor Hezbollah sign draws international attention
Trevor Wilhelm,
The Windsor Star
Published: Wednesday, August 15, 2007
From Washington, D.C., to Lebanon, and Nigeria to Tel Aviv, Windsor is in the
news.
Media outlets and bloggers around the world have been talking about Windsor this
week after controversy erupted over a billboard that went up on Wyandotte Street
with the face of Hezbollah's leader pasted front and centre. Ilan Goren, a
foreign news reporter for Channel 10 News Israel in Tel Aviv, said he started
following the billboard story after seeing it on a Hezbollah TV station from
Lebanon. They showed the skyline of Windsor," said Goren.
The sign was erected Friday morning at the corner of Wyandotte Street and Marion
Avenue, and immediately drew fire from the Windsor Jewish Community Centre, the
Lebanese Christian political group Kataeb and others.
Among other Lebanese leaders, it prominently depicts Hassan Nasrallah, the head
of the political and military group representing Shia Muslims. Hezbollah,
considered a terrorist organization by the Canadian government, was created in
1982 primarily to resist the Israeli occupation of Lebanon that lasted two
decades.
The billboard was quietly replaced Monday morning with an advertisement for a
car dealership, after sparking interest and debate around the world.
Mayor Eddie Francis said the Middle Eastern media's interest in the billboard
confirms his earlier statement that "the politics of Lebanon are best left to
Lebanon."
The publicity, he said, does nothing good for Windsor.
"The fact they're talking about the billboard doesn't help us," said Francis. "I
don't think anyone in the Middle East believes -- I hope they don't believe --
that they will solve their problems on the streets of Windsor. This is not
something Windsor will get engaged in, it will not be solved on Windsor's
streets and we're going to leave it over there."
Abed Foukara, managing editor for Al Jazeera television's Washington bureau,
said Wednesday he was considering sending a film crew to Windsor to document the
controversy.
Foukara said he's mainly interested in the billboard because it went up around
the same time as the first anniversary of last summer's war in Lebanon between
Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas.
He said the billboard's location, so close to the U.S. border, is also
interesting.
"It's fascinating that the billboard has come up in a part of the country where
you can visibly see this side of the border," said Foukara.
Goren, from Tel Aviv, said he first saw a story about the Windsor billboard on
Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV.
"We're hoping to do something about it," said Goren, who was trying to find
video of the billboard. "It's really kind of interesting."
Al-manar.com still had a story posted about the billboard on Wednesday, with the
headline "Sayyed Nasrallah on American borders. . . !!!"
Al-Manar reported, incorrectly, that the billboard is visible from the U.S.
"When you stand on the U.S. territories at the Detroit riverbank in Michigan
State and look towards the opposite side, you will see a huge picture of
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah surrounded by a number of
Lebanese figures," the story claimed.
Al-Manar also claimed shopkeepers near the billboard welcomed the sign because
it was drawing so many people to the area.
That story is followed by several comments from people as far away as Australia,
Nigeria, Tanzania, Germany, Lebanon and Algeria.
"I am extremely proud of those who put that poster and did not fear the reaction
of the Canadian authorities. Bravo," a person named Fatima wrote from Algeria.
Ynetnews.com, a leading online news agency in Israel, also posted a story on its
website with the headline, "Jews, Christians censure Nasrallah sign in Canada."
The website offers a chance for feedback on the story and there are dozens of
comments, from locales including India, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United
States. "As offensive and shocking as it may be, this display of terrorist
advocacy will surely provoke discussion of community values and hopefully there
will be lines drawn rather than tolerating evil in the name of 'multi-culturalism,'"
wrote Akiva Patysh, from River Forest, Ill.
The billboard is also a hot topic on several dozen blog sites from around the
world, such as The Discerning Texan, Israelforum.com and Lebanese-forces.org,
most of which have hundreds of comments attached.
twilhelm@thestar.canwest.com or 519-255-5777, ext. 642© The Windsor Star 2007
Propaganda or free speech?
Renee Charron
The Windsor Star 2007
Letter
Published: Thursday, August 16, 2007
I find it incredible the Hezbollah billboard was allowed to be put up in
Windsor. Hezbollah opposes the West, seeks to create a Muslim fundamentalist
state, and seeks to eliminate Israel. Hezbollah, whose name means "party of
God," has been implicated in terrorist actions targeting Jews, Israelis and
western targets around the world. The elimination of Israel has been one of the
group's primary goals, which they claim will bring peace to the Middle East. The
people who erected this billboard claim they want peace, so what they're really
saying is eliminate Jews and there will be peace, right? They believe acts
performed against Israel are justified acts of jihad.
What is incredulous is that in the article, Mr. Dabaja states Canada has
"labelled Hezbollah as a terrorist without having respect for the Muslim
people." So I guess the suicide bombings, violence and attempted genocide of the
Israeli people have nothing to do with Hezbollah being on the terrorist list.
Maybe the government will give some respect to Muslims once they stop promoting
and importing violence. Canada is not a place where Hezbollah supporters can
continue their propaganda in the name of freedom of speech.
Renee Charron/Windsor
Billboard is harmless
The Windsor Star 2007
J. Deslippe/Windsor
Letter
Published: Thursday, August 16, 2007
Regarding the billboard honouring fallen freedom fighters in Lebanon, I urge all
religious factions not to bring their fight here to Windsor. The billboard is
harmless, although the funds would have been put to better use had they been
sent to those in need in Lebanon. Also, I personally know several Lebanese
Canadians who feel Hezbollah is indeed a terrorist organization. I would remind
all immigrants there are many great things about living in Canada; one being
that you are free to criticize our government as much as you want, and the other
being that you are free to leave any time if you don't like it.
J. Deslippe/Windsor
Who is Lebanon fighting?
The Windsor Star 2007
R. Palmer/Windsor
Letter
Published: Thursday, August 16, 2007
How comforting. It seems we were wrong all along. Supporters of the Hezbollah
billboard ensure us they are promoting freedom, freedom fighters and peace.
They're not terrorists at all. We can all sleep well. The trouble is, Lebanon is
not under attack by anyone. So from whom are they fighting for freedom? What
Hezbollah has done is make unprovoked incursions across the border into Israel
to kidnap and kill Israelis and instigate a war costing thousands of lives.
Your actions are so loud, I can't hear what you're saying.R. Palmer/Windsor
Billboard was offensive
The Windsor Star 2007
Ron Marshall/Windsor
Letter
Published: Thursday, August 16, 2007
It's obvious this sign is very controversial and for that reason alone it should
come down. Mr. Dabaja says it is needed to honour those who are fighting for
Lebanon's freedom. As a Canadian I am not interested in what is going on in
Lebanon, although it did upset me when it cost Canadian taxpayers more than $100
million to rescue those with dual citizenship from vacationing in their country
last year. Mr. Dabaja says it is their Canadian right of free speech. I would
agree except when free speech threatens or offends others, and clearly this sign
does. What's next, bloodshed on the streets of Windsor?
If it is so important to honour this group that our Canadian government has
labelled as terrorists than erect the sign somewhere in Lebanon where it
belongs.
Ron Marshall/Windsor
Be sensitive to all beliefs
The Windsor Star 2007
Jeff Ryan/Windsor
Letter
Published: Thursday, August 16, 2007
The billboard is down now, but this letter is not moot. It is very sad some
people who emigrate to Canada declare it their right to be offensive to many
Canadians.
It is also extremely unsettling that Hassan Nasrallah, of Hezbollah (declared a
terrorist organization by many governments) would be compared by Hussein Dabaja
to Jesus: "They keep talking about Nasrallah. Nasrallah for us is a red light.
It is like saying Jesus is bad." (The Windsor Star, Aug. 13)
Although it seems to be forgotten at times, this country was founded on
Christian principles.
If you want me to be sensitive to your beliefs, be sensitive to mine, and to
those of many in your new home.
Jeff Ryan/Windsor
Terrorism is not peace
The Windsor Star 2007
Letter
Published: Thursday, August 16, 2007
Hezbollah is recognized worldwide as a terrorist organization. It's supporters
try to deflect this by highlighting charitable work the group does, but only for
its own supporters. They say Hezbollah wants to bring about peace but, peace
through terrorism is not peace at all. Terrorism is not the Canadian way.
Canadians are peaceful people. We open our doors to people but there are certain
expectations we have of them. We expect them to leave their religious and
political disputes behind and to live peaceably here with people of all faiths
and political learnings. We want them to support and understand democracy. We
certainly do not expect them to openly support terrorist groups.
If the local Hezbollah supporters can't do this, then they should not be allowed
to stay in Canada. They don't understand the meaning of democracy and they don't
understand that terrorism is anathema to Canadians.
Doug Smith/Amherstburg
Sign an affront to peace
The Windsor Star 2007
Marcia Sugar/Toronto
Letter
Published: Thursday, August 16, 2007
In response to Aug. 14 article, Billboard Disappears: Backers Defend
Controversial Sign. Since 2002, Hezbollah has been officially banned by the
Canadian government as a terrorist organization. Thus, it is an affront to all
law-abiding and peace-loving Canadian citizens to learn that an oversized
billboard with Hezbollah supporter Hassan Nazrallah's image appeared in Windsor.
Hezbollah is renowned as a jihad terrorist organization whose funding largely
comes from Iran, and whose principal goals are to rid Lebanon of all Christian
influence and to eradicate the State of Israel. It is unconscionable that
Canadian goodwill and tolerance should be abused and our strong belief in free
speech and multiculturalism should be subverted by those who pose a threat to us
and to Western democracies by their hateful agenda. It is commendable the
billboard was replaced, but it gives one pause such an inflammatory and
objectionable sign could have ever appeared at all.
Marcia Sugar/Toronto
Hizbullah Owns
Sophisticated Weapons to Deny Israel Air Superiority, Analyst
Hizbullah possesses sophisticated weapons to deny Israel air superiority over
Lebanon, retired Lebanese army Gen. Elias Hanna said after Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah promised Israel a "big surprise" if it attacked Lebanon.
In a speech marking the first anniversary of the cease-fire that ended the
Israel-Hizbullah war Aug. 14, Nasrallah warned Israel against striking Lebanon.
"You Zionists, If you think of launching an aggression against Lebanon, I won't
promise you surprises like those that have happened, but I promise you a big
surprise that could change the course of war and the destiny of the region, God
willing," Nasrallah said.
Nasrallah did not elaborate on his threat but reiterated that his group
possessed long-range rockets that could reach deep into Israel. Nasrallah has
earlier said Hizbullah possesses 33,000 rockets.
His comments have not been independently confirmed, and the number and type of
weapons Hizbullah owns are not known.
The U.N.-brokered cease-fire that ended the war a year ago demands that
Hizbullah disarm and prohibits the group from receiving arms shipments.
But Hizbullah has refused to lay down its arms, saying the weapons were needed
to defend Lebanon against Israeli threats.
Retired army Gen. Elias Hanna told The Associated Press that he believes
Nasrallah's speech shows that Hizbullah possesses thousands of advanced
anti-aircraft missiles.
"Israel has air superiority. So Hizbullah must act to deny Israel this
superiority by using advanced anti-aircraft missiles," Hanna said.
He said that in addition to Hizbullah's possession of long-range missiles,
"there is a possibility that Hizbullah may have some sleeper cells inside Israel
that could be activated in the event of war."
He also warned that Hizbullah could have sleeper cells abroad, though the
militant group has denied this allegation.
In Israel, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said while there has been an
improvement in security situation on Israel's northern border, concerns still
remain.
"We are concerned, however, as to continued attempts of Hizbullah to rearm.
Specifically, we are concerned that there is a flow of illicit weapons from Iran
and Syria to Hizbullah in direct violation of the U.N. resolution, and we
believe the international community should act against countries who by
continuing to supply weaponry to Hizbullah are acting to undermine a U.N.
security council resolution," Regev said.
Israeli Cabinet Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer also said he recommended taking
Nasrallah's comments seriously.
"Nasrallah has never lied. He is cocky, he is arrogant, but at least from our
experience with him, to my regret, what he has said, he has done. And when he
says 'I have 20,000 missiles' I believe him," Ben-Eliezer told Israel's Army
Radio on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, the U.N. Security Council expressed "grave concern" at
reports of arms smuggling to Lebanon, but dropped a direct call to Syria and
Iran, Hizbullah's main allies, to enforce the U.N. arms embargo.
The council also voiced "deep concern" about recent statements by Nasrallah
"that it retains the military capacity to strike all parts of Israel."
The war erupted on July 12, 2006, when Hizbullah fighters crossed the border
into Israel and attacked an Israeli patrol, killing three soldiers and capturing
two. More than 1,000 Lebanese and 159 Israelis were killed in the
war.(AP-Naharnet) Beirut, 16 Aug 07, 07:30
PLO Restructures Lebanon Command to Deal with Challenge from Hamas
The Palestine Liberation Organization has reportedly reorganized its command in
Lebanon to confront challenges from Hamas Islamists, the World Tribune said.
It quoted officials in Nicosia, Cyprus as saying that the PLO plans to extend
its authority from central to southern Lebanon.
According to the official, the PLO is seeking to strengthen its presence in
Lebanon during the war that has been raging between the Lebanese army and Fatah
al-Islam terrorists in the northern Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared.
The PLO was said to have been hurt by the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip,
which has strengthened the Palestinian Islamic movement in Lebanon as well,
Middle East Newsline reported.
The World Tribune said on its online edition that the PLO has reshuffled its
commanders and has appointed a new command in Lebanon.
It said Col. Khaled Aref, a senior PLO officer, has been transferred from the
south to command forces in Beirut, while Fatah commander Munir Maqdah has been
appointed the PLO representative in Sidon.
Officials, according to the World Tribune, said Aref and Maqdah would be
responsible for Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut and the south, respectively.
Beirut, 16 Aug 07, 08:23
A breakable link?
Despite current alliance, national interests of Syria, Iran not quite the same
John Davis Published: 08.16.07, 07:21 / Israel Opinion
While Damascus and Tehran appear to be demonstrating a united front, seeking to
strengthen Iran’s expansionism in the Middle East and aggression towards Israel,
Israeli government officials were recently reported as commenting that Syria is
still not a satellite of Iran and can, in fact, be extricated from an Iranian
"bear-hug."
Indeed, closer inspection of Syrian-Iranian relations reveals slight disparities
between Iran’s objectives of regional expansionism and the national interests of
Syria. With creative leveraging, Israel just might be able to seize upon the
opportunity that these rifts provide to dismantle a key link holding the Iranian
expansionist project together.
Despite the feeling after the Second Lebanon War that a moderate anti-Iranian
axis could be created, recent events seem to indicate that the stock of Iran and
its rejectionist allies is rising: Hamas handily defeated Fatah in Gaza, the
Saudi Peace Initiative lost momentum, Lebanon remained frozen in a face-off
while France appealed to Iran for its resolution, the Bush Administration
finally engaged Iran over the future of Iraq, all the while Iran steadily
progressed in its nuclear program.
As in Lebanon and Iraq, Iran has an interest in showing that it is inextricably
linked to the resolution of key regional conflicts, including Advertisement
those that involve Syria. (This explains the recent reports – true or untrue –
of the Syria-Iran strategic military deal.) Since such disputes can apparently
not be solved without Iranian cooperation, Iran creates leverage over the
international actors involved, such as France or the US, hoping that this will
inhibit further international sanctions or a potential military strike against
its nuclear program.
Thus, one way to undermine the Iranian expansionist project – whose ultimate
goal is a region dominated by fundamentalists and absent of a Jewish state – is
to dismantle the links from which Iran derives its immunity.
Cracks in network of resistance?
While Iran has sought to present a united front that includes Syria, a number of
potential gaps in each country’s respective national interests tell a slightly
different story.
Following the outbreak of the political crisis in Lebanon, Iran coordinated its
position with Saudi Arabia and did not give its full backing to Syria over the
issue of the international tribunal for the Hariri assassination – indicating a
willingness to sideline Syrian interests when Iran needs to protect itself.
Regarding the future of Iraq, Syria has expressed interest in a strong central
government in Baghdad with a secular Arab identity, while Iran prefers a weaker,
more de-centralized Iraq in which religious Shiites dominate.
Furthermore, Syria’s national interest to negotiate the return of the Golan
Heights with Israel fundamentally contradicts Iran’s priority of preventing any
political process with Israel.
Removing Syria from Iran’s orbit of influence would be a significant blow to
Iran’s aspirations for regional hegemony and immunity for its nuclear program.
The key may be to place Syria’s national interests in conflict with Iranian
expansionism.
On one hand, as long as Syria continues to facilitate the rejectionist
activities of Iran, Hamas and Hizbullah, it should remain isolated from the
West, under international pressure concerning Lebanon and wary of the
possibility of military action should it provoke Israel.
On the other hand, a tripartite US-Israel-Syria deal – something Assad has
hinted at – may be emerging due to a convergence of interests among the three.
While Syria wants carrots beyond resolution of its dispute with Israel, such as
an end to pressure and isolation led by the US, Syria can actually help the US
achieve its primary objective of stabilizing Iraq in addition to ending support
for Hamas and Hizbullah and weakening Iran.
Israel may want to explore with the US the potential mutual benefits of
containing the expanding Iranian threat by having the road from Damascus to
Washington pass through Jerusalem.
**The author, John Davis, is an analyst at the Reut Institute
Enthralled by alchemy
By Israel Harel
When Ehud Barak reached a decision-making level in the army and eventually in
the government, he was enthralled - as were others who came out of the ground
forces - by the charms of technological solutions. These, and not traditional
offensive and deterrent warfare, are supposed to solve Israel's security
problems.
Barak took part in the decision to develop the Nautilus, based on laser
technology, as a weapon against Katyushas fired by Palestinians, and after a
while by Hezbollah from Lebanon. The Americans, who for a number of years
collaborated with Israel in developing this response, concluded that it is
expensive even for the American treasury and (perhaps) mainly, that it cannot
provide an appropriate response to a number of rockets fired simultaneously.
Anti-ballistic missiles like the Arrow, launched after offensive missiles have
been identified as having been fired from thousands of kilometers away - from
Iran, for example - and interceptor missiles have enough time to hone in on
offensive missiles.
In contrast, when short-range missiles are fired simultaneously (let us assume
from the area of Rantis in western Samaria, eight kilometers from Ben-Gurion
Airport), a few missiles will always break through the most sophisticated
defense system. These would be enough to paralyze Israel's only international
airport, with all the strategic significance of such paralysis.
The response to short-range missiles, as Lebanon should have taught, is
preventive action by ground forces: an invasion of those missile-saturated
areas, destroying them, and maintaining a presence in the area to prevent
missile launches. Despite these lessons, the defense minister announced last
week - as usual with great assurance - that "three to five years will pass
before we develop the response to the missiles that are threatening the
population centers." Therefore, in his opinion, "until that time there should be
no talk of leaving the territories." That is, after we create "the response" we
will leave the territories.
If Israel had had anti-Katyusha missiles during the Second Lebanon War, and
could have intercepted 3,000 of the 4,000 missiles that were fired at northern
Israel, would the strategic outcome have been different? Hundreds of thousands
of civilians would have left the North even though only a quarter of all the
Katyushas had fallen on them. The economic damage due to factory closures would
have been no different, while the outlay by the military on research,
development and production of thousands of short-range interceptors - which as
noted would not provide a suitable strategic response - would have been huge.
Moreover, the Israel Air Force fired hundreds of rockets - much more advanced
than short-range interceptors at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars each
- against Katyushas and other Hezbollah weapons. But had those rockets been
effective, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would not have been forced to appoint the
Winograd Committee.
Criticism of Barak's statement focused on the political aspect (until the
completion of the "response" we must not withdraw from the territories; that is,
from the missile launch areas). No one criticized the concept proven wrong in
both Lebanon and Gaza that where there is technology there is no need for
strategic depth and fielding ground troops.
Unfortunately, instead of leading the nation's mood, Barak and many other
high-level political and military leaders are following the mood of that part of
the population that is tired of the struggle for its existence and has put its
faith in technological or political alchemy.
Hizbullah marks Lebanon war
anniversary with pomp and piety
At a rally commemorating the end of last summer's war, Sheikh Nasrallah promised
'big surprises' if Israel invaded again.
By Carol Huang
from the August 16, 2007 edition
Reporter Carol Huang in Beirut went to a Hizbullah rally celebrating the end of
the 2006 war with Israel.Last summer, the sky above Beirut's southern suburbs
was filled with Israeli warplanes; Tuesday night, it exploded with color as
Hizbullah supporters came out in force to commemorate "the day of victory" that
marked the end of the 2006 war with Israel. Packing an
empty-lot-turned-outdoor-auditorium and spilling into crowded streets nearby,
they waved Hizbullah and Lebanese flags as color-coordinated balloons bobbed
overhead and fireworks shot off periodically.
On five elevated screens, the movement's leader – Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah –
delivered a state-of-the-union address of sorts, evaluating Hizbullah's position
on the one-year anniversary of a United Nations-brokered cease-fire that brought
an end to the fighting.
In a 90-minute address, Mr. Nasrallah explained his take on international
politics (the US and Israel want to divide and conquer the Middle East, but they
won't succeed) and updated people on social-welfare programs (rent subsidies
will continue for those whose homes still haven't been rebuilt). Recalling
Hizbullah's destruction last summer of an Israeli warship that was shelling
southern Beirut, and saying that no part of Israel was safe from Hizbullah's
rockets, he underscored his main message: We're victors against terrible
aggression and ready, if necessary, for more.
It's not exactly how the rest of the country views last year's 34-day battle
with Israel, which left more than 1,000 Lebanese dead, 1 million displaced, and
billions of dollars worth of buildings and infrastructure damaged.
Nevertheless, it's the message the Shiite Islamist "resistance" group has been
reinforcing for the past month to boost morale among supporters. And the message
is coming through loud and clear, not just because of Nasrallah's latest address
but courtesy of commemorative events that include speeches, lunches, memorials,
a battle reenactment, war exhibit, and a music video.
Most analysts agree that the war yielded no clear winner. Israel caused far more
destruction in its enemy's territory, but didn't crush Hizbullah or retrieve its
two soldiers whose kidnapping triggered the conflict.
Hizbullah mounted a surprisingly capable defense against its southern neighbor
and, on that basis, has claimed Aug. 14 as the Day of Victory over what was
widely recognized as the region's most powerful military.
Beyond Shiite strongholds, Lebanese have shown little interest in commemorating
a month's worth of bombings that exacerbated the already-fragile political
situation and struggling economy.
"Most Lebanese don't even know about [these events]," says Timur Goksel, a
security analyst familiar with the group.
Hizbullah has been careful not to further aggravate tensions over the divisive
war, confining festivities to the group's strongholds in south Lebanon, the
Bekaa Valley to the north, and Beirut's southern suburbs.
The only signs of any war commemorations outside Hizbullah neighborhoods are the
green banners displayed on all major roads leading in and out of Beirut.
"Victory from God," they read, "We have the surprises."
But these notices have ruffled feathers in some neighborhoods that don't support
the movement, admits Ghassan Darwish, director of information for the group's
Beirut office.
Over the past month, Hizbullah has organized memorial and prayer services at
heavily bombed sites in Beirut's southern suburbs, each held on location and on
the date of destruction.
At one last week, Hizbullah "patriotic songs" welcomed guests over a loudspeaker
as they took their seats. A sheikh recited Koranic verses and melancholy poetry
about the victims of the bombing as a slide show looped through photos of each
one. Relatives expressed their grief, while a neighbor named Mustafa said, "On
the blood of these people the victory was won."
Hizbullah has also held lunches for families of war victims. And it reenacted
Hizbullah's rocket attack on the Israeli warship.
A seven-week war exhibit in Beirut's southern suburbs displays other war booty,
including battered Israeli tanks. Visitors begin their tour by entering a fake
Hizbullah bunker complete with living quarters and an operations room. From
there, they can stroll through an air-conditioned tent that features pro-war
quotations from American and Israeli leaders, a video game simulating Hizbullah
battles, and other wartime photos and memorabilia.
The exhibit is "very nice," says a chaperone of about 60 schoolboys here on a
field trip. "It solidifies the idea that [Hizbullah] defeated the powerful
Israeli army."
But more important than these "small" events attracting a couple thousand each,
says Mr. Darwish, are Nasrallah's appearances. As the grand finale of Tuesday's
speech – his third televised one in the past month – Nasrallah declared for the
first time that Hizbullah had "big surprises" planned if Israel invaded again.
"[The speech] was very strong and very moving," says Aly, a spectator visibly
awed by Nasrallah's promise. "Israel shouldn't think about making war because
we're always ready."
Now Showing South of Beirut: The Hizbullah Experience
Thursday, 16 August, 2007
By Andrew Lee Butters
Beirut, Lebanon - Ever wonder what it's like inside a Hizballah bunker but not
so eager to get kidnapped just to find out?
Well, for a short time and a short time only, anyone in Lebanon can do the next
best thing and visit the new Hizballah museum in the southern suburbs of Beirut,
where there is no admission charged and no blindfold required.
Imagine Britain's Imperial War museum with an Islamist militia makeover, and
you've got the strangely-named ''Spider Web" museum, built to commemorate
Hizballah's "Divine Victory" over Israel after their 34-day war last summer,
which ended a year ago yesterday. Though just a temporary installation built on
the rubble of a building destroyed during the war, the museum showcases the
guerrilla organization's trademark attention to detail and its fearsomeness.
Designed like a sandbag fortress rising over a garden of inert land mines,
armored vehicles and the occasional palm tree, the museum contains a display of
Hizballah weapons and tactics, including the scale recreation of a front line
bunker, complete with computer workstation, prayer rug and dish rack. Throw in a
lava lamp and it could be a college dorm room.
Besides diagrams of the latest in Iranian and Russian anti-tank rocketry, and an
ultra-violent Hizballah special forces video game, the display that I found most
impressive was a plaque listing every single Israeli warplane that bombed
Lebanon along with their squadron ID and home bases. Not only did Hizballah
survive the bombardment, but its observers still had the presence of mind to
keep score. Not bad for 3,000 regular fighters up against a regional superpower.
The Israelis portrayed in the museum are either dead (in mannequin form)
war-crazed (photos of Israeli school children writing hate messages on artillery
shells) or incompetent ("We will eradicate Hizballah within three days,"
trumpets former Israeli General Dan Halutz while next to him, former Defense
Minister Amir Peretz looks through a pair of binoculars with the lens caps still
on.)
But the "Death to Israel" stuff is of a piece with normal Hizballah propaganda.
What's different about the museum as a whole is the bragging tone. Hizballah was
once famous for being one of the few Arab organizations that let its actions
speak louder than words. The new swagger shown since last summer is both a sign
of newfound confidence, and of weakness. For though Hizballah may have won the
war against Israel, it has not yet won the peace.
After the war, Hizballah launched a campaign to topple the current
American-supported Lebanese government. Hizballah accuses the Lebanese
government of collaborating in spirit with the so-called Zionist Entity by
hoping that Israel would destroy Hizballah as a state-within the Lebanese state.
But the Hizballah-led opposition campaign has been stalled for at least 8
months, in part because many Lebanese resent the fact that Hizballah
unilaterally sparked a war that ended with almost 2,000 dead and billions of
dollars in damage.
Plus, the cease-fire that took effect one year ago yesterday left Hizballah
vulnerable. There are now some 13,000 United Nations soldiers enforcing the
peace in southern Lebanon, making it difficult for the group to re-arm on its
favorite turf. Moreover, a UN investigation into a series of political
assassinations in Lebanon is closing in on Hizballah's patron-state, Syria, and
there's talk of deploying UN troops along the border with Syria to prevent arms
smuggling to Hizballah. To top it off, Israeli hawks say it's just a matter of
time before their army returns to Lebanon to finish the job for good.
But the only thing more dangerous than a victorious Hizballah is a weakened
Hizballah. If the UN soldiers in Lebanon ever started to seriously cramp
Hizballah's style, the peacekeeping force would be toast. Lebanese history is
littered with examples of foreign armies meeting their fate in this fractious
hill country. Hizballah itself was born from the carnage of the disastrous 1982
Israeli invasion. A massive new invasion would only bring a phyrric victory at
best. If Israel leveled half of Lebanon, some new danger would emerge from the
rubble. And there will be no museums built after the next war, just lots of
graves.
Source: Time Middle East Blog
Lebanon: One Year On
By Sean Gannon
FrontPageMagazine.com | 8/16/2007
On March 21, 1968, the Israeli army launched a raid on the town of al-Karameh.
Four miles inside Jordanian territory, it was being used by Yasir Arafat's Fatah
as a command center for attacks against Israel, the most recent of which had
killed a doctor and a schoolboy three days before.
Although the Palestinians suffered 70% casualties and the complete devastation
of their base, the fact that they managed, due to the spirited assistance of the
Jordanian army, to hold out for almost a day and kill 28 Israelis in the
process, allowed Arafat to declare the battle “the first victory of the Arabs
against the state of Israel” and present it as an heroic Stalingrad-style
success. In the words of PLO historian Abdallah Frangi, the fighting "restored
the dignity and self-esteem of the Palestinians and the entire Arab world."
Al-Karameh represents the archetypal Arab “victory” in which success is
determined not by conventional military criteria, but by the mere ability to
survive. In 1973, for example, Egypt proclaimed a “most remarkable epic of
victory” in the Yom Kippur War despite the fact that the IDF was within 60 miles
of Cairo and the Egyptian Third Army hours from annihilation when the UN
ceasefire was imposed. Eighteen years later, Saddam declared a “glorious
victory” over the American-led “allies of Satan” that had driven him from Kuwait
and decimated his army during Operation Desert Storm.
Hezbollah’s self-declared “strategic, historic victory, without exaggeration” in
last summer’s Second Lebanon War was also cast from the al-Karameh mold. One
week into the fighting, the Lebanese Daily Star’s Michael Young warned that
Sheikh Nasrallah “needs only to survive with his militia intact and Israel
sufficiently bloodied” in order to claim a success. And, by exploiting Israeli
shortcomings, this he undoubtedly achieved.
Israel’s government-appointed Winograd commission of inquiry has documented the
reasons for Hezbollah's "victory." One problem was the IDF’s over-confidence in
its air force’s capabilities and the ill-readiness of its reserves for a
large-scale campaign. In addition, having effectively ignored the threat of
katyusha rockets since the May 2000 pullback from Lebanon -- “a matter of
serious and long-term system-wide negligence," according to one Israeli defense
source quoted in Ha’aretz -- Israel failed to counter their inaccuracy and small
payloads. Not least, confused and uncoordinated Israeli decision-making
throughout the 34-day conflict enabled Hezbollah to land punishing blows.
But the unremitting Israeli hand-wringing over the war’s “errors, mistakes and
failures” cannot obscure the fact that Hezbollah suffered a significant military
defeat at the IDF’s hands. Firstly, it lost between 600 and 700 of its most
experienced fighters, more than were killed in the previous 20 years. Israeli
losses were low by comparison, especially given Hezbollah’s preparedness; just
over 100 IDF soldiers were killed in battle, one-quarter of these in a senseless
last-minute surge that should never have happened. Hezbollah’s military
infrastructure was also hit hard; its Beirut headquarters was reduced to heaps
of rubble, its Viet Cong-type bunker and tunnel base system in south Lebanon
suffered serious damage, while its extensive fortifications along Israel’s
northern border were completely destroyed.
Secondly, Hezbollah’s Iranian/Syrian-supplied arsenal was severely depleted to
relatively little advantage. Publicly, the Ayatollahs congratulated Nasrallah on
the “wise and far-sighted leadership… that produced the great victory in
Lebanon.” But there was behind-the-scenes anger that all Tehran had to show for
its billion-dollar investment in its front line with Israel was two kidnapped
soldiers and an Israeli bloodied nose. Of 1,000 anti-tank rockets fired by
Hezbollah, only 50 hit their targets. And of these, just half caused serious
damage.
Virtually all of Hezbollah's medium-range rocket launchers were destroyed after
a single use. Moreover, in what Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert described as
“an impressive, perhaps unprecedented achievement,” 95% of its long-range
missile capability was eliminated on the war’s second night, neutralizing its
threat to “strike Tel Aviv.” Meanwhile, 90% of the 4,000 katyushas deployed
failed to strike anything of significance, and while the other 10% did cause
damage and deaths (almost half of them Israeli Arabs), they failed to turn
northern Israel into the wilderness long promised by Nasrallah.
Indeed, the war exploded his much-trumpeted theory that Israeli society’s horror
of death would make it “weaker than a spider’s web” in time of war. While
sensitivity to casualties did hamper operations in the field, the home front
fully supported the expanding IDF effort even as one million moved into shelters
and 300,000 headed south.
The war was a setback for Hezbollah on the strategic level, too. Having launched
the kidnapping operation to force the release of three Israeli-held Lebanese
prisoners, it ended the war with thirteen more members behind IDF bars. The
Israeli retaliation also subverted Hezbollah’s justification for its refusal to
disarm in accordance with UN resolutions, namely that, through its creation of
“balance of fear and terror with the Zionists,” it constituted an essential
element of Lebanon’s national defense. Israel would rather let Lebanon be,
Nasrallah had assured Lebanese leaders two weeks before the war, than risk a
missile attack on the northern third of its territory that contained, not only
its petrochemical industry, but some of its most populous regions as well. Given
the rather weak-willed responses of an Israel preoccupied with the second
intifada to incidents such as Hezbollah’s October 2000 kidnapping of three
Israeli soldiers and its killing of six civilians at Kibbutz Matzuva in March
2002, this was not an unreasonable assumption.
Certainly, it was widely shared within the terrorist organization. Thus, Hussein
Khalil, an aide to Nasrallah, assured the Lebanese Prime Minister on the first
day of fighting that “things will calm down in 24 to 48 hours." Hezbollah MP
Nawwar Sahil told Lebanese TV that "Israel will just retaliate a bit, bomb a
couple of targets and that would be the end of it." Nasrallah himself later
admitted that he “did not assess, not even by one percent that the kidnapping
operation would result in such a wide scale war” and that, had he known, he
“would not have carried it out at all.” This in itself was an admission of
defeat, as Charles Krauthammer noted: “what real victor declares that, had he
known, he would not have started the war that ended in triumph?”
Hezbollah’s defeat was compounded by UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which
essentially ended the war on Israel’s terms. UN demands for Hezbollah’s
disarmament and an embargo on its re-supply with weapons; its expulsion from the
area south of the Litani river; and the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces
(LAF) and a 15,000-strong UNIFIL force in its place, seemed to vindicate
Tehran’s claim that 1701 was a “Zionist document.” Confident of the UN’s
commitment to implement its provisions, Israel withdrew from Lebanese territory
and placed responsibility for its national security in international hands.
But this proved gravely imprudent. For, one year after Israel won the war, it is
clear that the UN has lost it the peace.
Notwithstanding UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s recent assertion that UNIFIL
“has helped to establish a new strategic military and security environment in
southern Lebanon,” Hezbollah has largely rebuilt its military base. UNIFIL’s
commander, Maj-Gen Claudio Graziano, recently assured the Jerusalem Post that he
is “applying 1701 to the maximum” and that there is “no open hostile activity…
no evidence of any rearmament… no one going around southern Lebanon with
weapons." Any armed person -- “even a hunter," he insisted -- would be arrested
by one of UNIFIL’s 400 daily patrols.
Yet, as early as November 2006, the IDF reported that Hezbollah was back on the
border collecting intelligence. By January 2007, Israeli Military Intelligence
was warning that Hezbollah had rebuilt much of what it lost in the war and,
despite an increase in UNIFIL pro-activeness, it confirmed this assessment on
June 4th. Two days later, ex-Chief of Staff and former Defense Minister Shaul
Mofaz said that Hezbollah had created a “double grip” on both sides of the
Litani, rebuilding its military infrastructure not only in the south but in
Beirut and the Beqa’a Valley as well. The fact that its operatives “don't walk
around southern Lebanon in the open with the weapons, but rather are limited to
... urban areas that the LAF and UNIFIL do not enter” accounted, he said, for UN
claims to the contrary.
The IDF shares his assessment, announcing in late July that Hezbollah was moving
its rockets into Shi’ite villages in an effort to avoid detection. And just this
week the British Sunday Telegraph reported that Hezbollah was buying up large
tracts of non-Shiite owned lands in south Lebanon to further shield its
activities from view.
Furthermore, while Hezbollah's focus on rehabilitation is keeping it quiet in
south Lebanon, there is evidence that it is allowing al-Qaeda-affiliated
jihadists to act as its proxies. The June 18 katyusha attack on Kiryat Shmona
and the killing of six Spanish UNIFIL personnel one week later could not have
been carried out without its knowledge. The UNIFIL killings, although publicly
condemned by Hezbollah, worked to further its ends, especially given the Spanish
contingent’s reputation for forcefully implementing its mandate. The fact that
some of UNIFIL’s national contingents have begun liaising with Hezbollah in an
effort to guarantee their security demonstrates its ultimate control.
The UN has been equally ineffective in enforcing 1701’s demand for an embargo on
Hezbollah's rearmament. Within three months of the ceasefire, Lebanese civilians
living near the border with Syria were claiming that consignments of arms were
being smuggled across at night. As much was confirmed by Nasrallah himself last
February when, apropos the LAF’s seizure of a truckload near Beirut, he told a
rally that Hezbollah was “secretly transporting weapons and Israel doesn’t know
about it” (in fact, Israel’s Squadron 100 aerial reconnaissance unit had been
closely monitoring their flow and storage for months).
Despite repeated Israeli requests for action such as UNIFIL’s deployment along
the Syrian frontier, it took the UN until May to officially acknowledge the
problem and establish the Lebanon Independent Border Assessment Team (LIBAT) to
investigate. LIBAT reported back in late June that while the Lebanese security
agencies “demonstrate a good level of understanding of the nature of their
duties in relation to the provisions of Resolution 1701,” their lack of skills,
resources and experience in patrolling a border that didn’t really exist during
the decades-long Syrian occupation meant that current security measures are
“insufficient” to prevent arms trafficking. (The fact that some LAF members are,
due to blood or ideological kinship, actually assisting Hezbollah’s efforts is
further complicating the situation).
Indeed, although Ban Ki-Moon reported on June 29th that Iran and Syria were
transferring arms to Hezbollah “on a scale [which] would allow it to reach a
level of armament equal to that of last year or beyond,” LIBAT was unable to
document a single seizure during its three-week visit. On July 22nd, the IDF
confirmed that Hezbollah had restored its pre-war military capabilities,
including long-range missiles.
The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet this week to discuss the renewal of
UNIFIL’s mandate, which expires at the end of the month. But having given
Hezbollah a year to overcome the consequences of last summer’s defeat, there is
now nothing the UN can do prevent a Third Lebanon War.
***Sean Gannon is a freelance writer and researcher, specializing in Irish and
Israeli affairs. He is currently preparing a book on the relationship between
the two countries. gannon_sean@yahoo.co.uk
Excerpts: Arafat's widow.Syria impacts Lebanon. Turkey/Iraq Kurdish tensions 15
August 2007
ARAB NEWS ( Saudi) 15 Aug.'07:"Tunisia Strips Suha Arafat of Nationality"Bouazza
Ben Bouazza, Associated Press -QUOTE:"She was the top heir of Arafat's vast
fortunes"TUNIS, 15 August 2007 - Tunisia has stripped the widow of former
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat of Tunisian citizenship, officials said
yesterday.44-year-old Suha Arafat, who was born in Jerusalem and became a
naturalized Tunisian last year, had lost her citizenship.No explanation was
provided, nor was any reference made to Arafat's 12-year-old daughter Zahwa, who
became a Tunisian citizen on the same day as her mother. Suha Arafat was
believed to have left Tunisia, and news reports suggested she was in Malta. She
had lived in Tunisia since Yasser Arafat died at a suburban Paris hospital in
November 2004.. . .Born to a wealthy Christian
family, Suha Arafat once served as secretary to the famed Palestinian leader.
They secretly married in 1990. She was the top heir to Arafat's vast fortunes,
and owns a home in the upscale Gammarth neighborhood in northern Tunis.
THE DAILY STAR 15 Aug.'07:"Facing up to an army of presidents"
By Michael Young,Opinion Editor
--QUOTE:"If Syrians don't get their way, they will react brutally"-
EXCERPTS:
Syria is pushing Lebanon toward an election whose effect will be the elevation
of the army commander, Michel Suleiman, to the presidency . . .Suleiman's
presidential ambitions are no longer a secret....he would accept heading a
transitional government if Lebanon's politicians didn't agree over a
candidate,...if the army commander presided over such a government, this would
mean he could dispense with a constitutional amendment necessary for active
senior state officials to stand for office.
..., Syria apparently is seeking to use the threat of a vacuum to push its
favorite through.... it's the army that Syria wants to see win out.. . .Damascus
is focused on bringing European pressure to bear on the majority to accept its
candidate of choice. The tactic may well work. France, Spain and Italy, pillars
of UNIFIL all, are determined not to allow a void at the top of the state, and
if Suleiman is their way to avert that outcome, the March 14 coalition will find
it hard to say no. . . .Lebanon always distinguished itself from other Arab
countries by not chronically resorting to military men in times of strife. Yet
now, with Emile Lahoud, Michel Aoun,
and Michel Suleiman in play, we find ourselves dodging berets. . .The obstacles
are immense. If the Syrians don't get their way, they will react brutally....
Syria may be the least pleased with a vacuum - because the Hariri tribunal will
advance anyway - the majority may be the one with time on its side. That's why
it should act like a majority, be forceful on its priorities, and ensure that
2005 was not just a fantasy.
JORDAN TIMES 15 Aug.'07:"Through democratic means"
QUOTE: The agreement reached recently by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki to end the presence of
militias belonging to the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) on Iraqi territory is
bound to defuse the growing tension between the two countries, at least for the
time being....they both appear ready to finalise a solid accord on the issue of
the PKK in order to avert a Turkish invasion of northern Iraqi territory.... the
party itself must reconsider the tactics it uses with the aim of attaining
recognition and obtaining rights for the Kurdish minority in Turkey. . .The PKK
must adopt democratic tools to achieve its aspirations and not resort to
military confrontations, especially of the kind that it cannot win in the
end.The PKK must not spoil things for its people in Turkey and Iraq. It should
lay down arms and seek democratic and peaceful methods to attain its rights.
***Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA
Gaza Christians Living Under Growing Islamic Threat
By Ryan Jones
CNSNews.com Correspondent
August 16, 2007
Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - The few reports emerging from Gaza regarding the
area's tiny Christian minority indicate that Palestinian followers of Jesus are
under increasing pressure to either become Muslims, submit to Islamic law or
leave the Gaza Strip.
Hamas, an Islamic terrorist group that won last year's Palestinian parliamentary
elections, completed a military takeover of the Gaza Strip in June, handily
defeating its rivals in Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah
movement.
Following the conquest, spokesmen and various local officials affiliated with
Hamas announced that an era of strict Islamic rule had begun in Gaza.
According to a report in Middle East Newsline last week, Hamas and its followers
are moving fast against non-believers in the area. Fatah officials who spoke to
the news service on condition of anonymity said Hamas is pressing leaders of the
2,000-strong Christian community to either convert to Islam or emigrate.
The Jerusalem Post earlier reported that Prof. Sana al-Sayegh, dean of the
science and technology faculty at Palestine University and a Christian, had been
abducted by several of her Muslim colleagues and forced to convert and marry a
Muslim man.
Weeks after her disappearance in late June, al-Sayegh's family was invited to a
meeting with several aides to Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. Surrounded by
Hamas gunmen, a distraught and crying al-Sayegh informed her family that she had
become a Muslim.
Hamas maintains that al-Sayegh's conversion was a matter of personal choice and
that it is vigorously protecting the rights of Gaza's Christians, but Dr. Walid
Phares, a leading Middle East expert and senior fellow at the Foundation for the
Defense of Democracies, told Cybercast News Service that the exact opposite is
true.
"Hamas states that it 'protects' minorities with the same energy as the Taliban
and the Islamist regime in Sudan have stated before," said Phares. However, "the
reality is that the Jihadist agenda of Hamas includes gradual but strict
implementation of shari'a law.
"What that means for the Christians of Gaza, explained Phares, is that they will
"be subjected to second-class citizen treatment."
Phares said that as a result of this increasing Islamic pressure, Gaza's
Christian community is considering fleeing the area en masse. Many have already
left.
Christians are not the only victims of Hamas' iron-fisted rule of Gaza. The
group does not tolerate any hint of criticism or dissent, even from fellow
Muslims.
On Monday, some 300 Palestinians violated a Hamas ban on public demonstrations
and gathered in a central Gaza City square chanting, "We want freedom." Many
more people were prevented from ever reaching the location.
Heavily armed Hamas militiamen quickly broke up the protest, wounding a large
number of people with clubs and rifle butts, and arrested many others before
subjecting them to long hours of interrogation.
Later in the day, Hamas forces raided the local offices of international and
Palestinian news agencies and confiscated all coverage of the demonstration and
the suppression of its participants.
The group reportedly also broken up a number of weddings where songs affiliated
with the rival Fatah organization were being sung.
Throw into the mix the recent establishment of an Al Qaeda branch in Gaza, and
you have a "recipe for Talibanization," noted Phares.